My Dad always encouraged me in my art. When I was a kid, and we would visit people, he would always ask them, “Do you have pen and paper? Kenny can draw a Disney character for you”. Of course the people would enjoy my drawing and my Dad was obviously proud of my talent.

My Dad would also get me to do drawing appearances, I appeared on several childrens’ TV shows and the local fair, the Lodi Grape Festival. Although my Dad didn’t live to see me become a Disney artist, I think he must have known it way back when I was a kid.

He encouraged my love for Disney by taking us to Disneyland once or twice a year, and living in central California at the time, that was a big deal. He even found a way to get me a personalized autographed photo of Walt Disney just before Walt died, which I still have.

When I grew up, I realized that my Dad’s encouragement was probably uncommon, because I learned that many parents would not encourage their kids to pursue art, believing “You can’t make a living as an artist”.

I believe that most parents want the best for their children, which usually means financial security. But I have also come to realize that you can make money doing almost anything, if you go about it a certain way. You can even make money collecting garbage, which by the way is a necessary service.

I believe that a person’s ideal job is one that they are naturally good at, or love to do. If they can find a way to make money doing it, that can be the ultimate success. So encourage your kids, because while success is never guaranteed, their dream job may be more possible than you think.